New Roommates
by 2.0. Katt
Summary: Lucy makes the biggest mistake of her life when she opens her door to Master Makarov and two Oracion Seis members. After being commanded to quit Team Natsu and reintroduce the ex-cons into society for the next year, she finds that her fate is bound to their's. So, what the hell is she supposed to do with two new roommates and a new life she can't even begin to comprehend? Fun, huh?
1. Ch 1: Surprise of the Night

**_A/N: Hey guys! This is the first edited chapter and I would definitely suggest reading it for two reasons! The plot has slightly changed and the writing is better! Happy readings and please review!_**

**_And quick note to NerdyTurtle0599, I apologize for not getting this up yesterday like I said, I just kinda forgot._**

**Surprise of the Night: Chapter 1**

I looked at the time it was already 3:00am. I should have been in bed three hours ago at the latest. While I did have an amazing time with my team I couldn't stand seeing their faces anymore! I've seen their stupid, destructive faces for two week straight on missions and I'd still decided to go have a drink with them (it was actually more like two, or three, or four, ...maybe seven). So while I could still make half of a decent decision and hold down a little bit of the liquor and food, I was going the hell home!

That would be the first and last time I take Erza and Natsu on in a drinking contest. Erza was a drinking demon and Natsu was a lightweight; the dumbass nearly killed me in a fist fight with the wall and I still had yet to figure out how I'd gotten involved. I ended up mumbling some excuse about having to get home to Plue knowing very well he was in the spirit realm and before I could finish my sentence they offering to walk me home.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the rambunctious duo but they were beyond drunk and the last thing I needed was anymore scorch marks on my walls (that I'd already repainted three times since moving in), ice shrapnel in my carpets that wouldn't melt for days, or swords in my walls when the redhead came to get them. She still had yet to get the one deeply embedded in the structure work in my thin walls. The woman was scary enough when sober but after maybe a dozen drinks she was just downright evil. I could swear up and down that she maliciously destroyed things in my house and she'd swear on our friendship that she'd done nothing of the such when sober once more. In other words, me and Erza should have stopped being friends long ago.

I hurriedly left the group, trying to make sense of the blurring and swirling guild ahead of me. My feet were crossing in front of each other as I attempted to make my way to the other end of the bar's countertop where Mira stood. After what felt like a good thirty minutes, I pulled a crumpled, little wad of cash from my pocket haphazardly and continued on my merry drunken way.

I could already feel the beginning of a headache pounding me upside my head with little regard for my plans of tomorrow. I summoned Virgo cursing that damned golden light as it flashed against my already blurred vision.

"Good evening Princess, are you in need of my assistance?" The pinkette asked with that angelic servant tone. I rummaging through the useless, dimmed thoughts in my brain for the reason that I had called her for, trying to ignore that queasy feeling creeping up my stomach.

"Um- Hey Virgo." My slightly slurred voice was none too enthused and my friend must have picked up on it easily. She frowned placing a hand on the base of my neck.

"Princess, are you feeling warm?" I nodded, fully aware and experienced with the warm feeling of alcohol. "Are you aware that your alcohol allows heat to leave your body despite the messages your brain is getting? Your body is below standard human temperatures and it's not safe here in cold weather."

"Yes, I'm aware Virgo." There was a subtle smile on my lips. I couldn't help but enjoy her concern for me. "Would you mind pulling out some stuff for me to take a hot bath when I get home, please?"

"Of course, Princess." She left in that unusually irritating flash of light before returning seconds later to inform me of her completed duties. I thanked her with a hug and a small salute before she was gone again.

_**~ Time Skip ~**_

Virgo had gone above and beyond what I had requested from her and _Mavis, _did I love that woman. The second I walked in through that door, I saw an all out meal on the table beside a shower caddy with lavish soaps and perfumes for a bath. I was able to hold much of that good down with my stomach feeling like a grenade had gone off in my stomach. I shouldn't have waited to start sobering up before I got home; Now having to deal with the beginning of a hangover, I felt like complete and utter shit.

I dragged my ass from the table, with the shower caddy in hand. I peeled the nasty clothes off slowly, feeling like I was being released from a dirty second skin, still covered in the last mission. I turned the water as hot as it could go, which wasn't very hot for 70,000 jewels a month. I felt the welcoming, warm water run over my skin.

The wash cloth laved over my dainty form, reminding me why I was treated as such.

It's been going on since the war with Phantom Lord. When everyone found out that I was the Heartfilia heiress, they unconsciously started treating me like I was this fragile thing that couldn't defend itself. I'd been meaning to bring it up for about a month now. Maybe like two, or three, or four,... alright it's more like seven but I can't bring myself to tell them. Fairy Tail's heart is in the right place despite the overwhelming stupidity. It's not like they were being demeaning, everyone was just… in the way all of the time! Even a in a simple fight, _I _had to get through Erza, Gray, and Natsu before they could get a single finger on me. Sure, getting beat up was not on my agenda but how the hell was I supposed stronger if I don't fight!?

What seemed to only be a few minutes of contemplating turned into almost an hour. I turned the chilled water off and stepped out onto the fluffy, pink bathroom rug. I wrapped myself in a plush, white towel and made my way into the bedroom, trying to shrug off the undermining feeling of defeat from Fairy Tail. I was getting ready to throw on the clothes Virgo picked out for me when I heard loud pounding on the door. I figured it was a drunk Erza coming to see if I got home safe or coming to get her damn dagger out of my wall (I'm never getting my security deposit back). I stumbled past the furniture in the living room, making my way to the door. The pounding continued and I yelled "I'M COMING, HOLD ON!" When I got to the door it was the last people I expected to be at my door at 5 o'clock in the morning.

A slightly irritated Master Makarov and two members of Oracion Seis.

_**~General POV~**_

The blonde stellar mage's eyes widened when she opened the door, hand subconsciously reaching for the keys that weren't on her hip. "May we come in?" asked the short guild master. Lucy gave a questioning look and a slight nod as she moved out of the way for the three guests to come in.

Master slipped past her, and the salt and pepper haired member (she didn't quite remember) but she did very confidently step in front of the dark redhead still wrapped in her fluffy white towel. He stopped almost surprised but kept eye contact with the shorter blonde. Lucy eyed him. Her brown eyes gleamed with uncertainty. The crimson-haired, poison dragon slayer gave a smirk and said "Did you miss me, Blondie?"

She couldn't believe she was about to let this dumbass in her house. "Oh yeah, because I was just _dying _to hear more blonde nicknames at home from the guy who tried to kill me." She stepped aside, motioning him to go ahead on in. Cobra moved past, brushing past her slightly and feeling a shiver force its way down the length of his spine. _What the hell?_

He flopped down on the blue furniture in the living room staring at the blonde (whose name he'd long forgotten), wondering what the hell she'd just done to him. Lucy just glared at Cobra trying her hardest not to say something she would regret in front of her Guild Master, took a look at the sleeping Midnight, then turned her attention back to Makarov. Her face deadpanned as she looked at the old man. There was no question she was slightly annoyed by her guild master's sudden intrusion with recent enemies.

Lucy took a deep, long breath before excusing herself from the room to change into her pajamas. It was in the solitude and quiet of her room that she tried her damndest to not cry and scream about having those murderers in her apartment, trying to convince herself that they'd changed. She had managed to draw a very, _very _fine line between trust of their reformation in prison and murderous caution as she slipped on her her tank top and pajama shorts. She held onto her bedroom door for a long minute, once again trying to regather her thoughts before entering back into the living room. She was going to be okay, right?

"So why are you here with them in the middle of the night?" She didn't hesitate to jump straight into the 'surprise of the night'. Makarov took a long look at his child then sighed.

"You know I would never impose on you, my child, but these two have been released from prison and the magic council wants you to watch over them."

Lucy flopped back on the loveseat she sat on alone with a loud groan that woke the reflector mage. "Maaasstteeeer," She whined, "This is very much imposing! What did I do wrong to get stuck with them!?"

"It's because of your passion for forgiveness, the council has decided that you would be the best person to introduce these two back into society. I also want you to introduce them into the guild."

"There's no way in hell I'm babysitting the two grown ass men that tried to kill my team!" All Lucy heard was complete and utter _bullshit. _She had a life, she had a family, and she had self-dignity but the magic council chooses to dump the criminals on her!? For one, Erza would have been a better, stronger choice and she can forgive too! Secondly, I'm _not _as strong! If anything were to happen, I cannot defend myself against them. They will kill me and there was nothing I could do about it. I'm left feeling helpless in my own house...

"I know you can, that's why I agreed to let them be here with you." Makarov replied, stopping her in her rampage. He'd known she'd be sore over the idea but he had never seen the Lucy lash out like that. Cobra, however, seemed pretty amused. He didn't know Blondie had a temper and he would sure as hell have fun poking at her… at least that's what he thought; She'd set him straight tomorrow, no problem.

"Alright," She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes before continuing. She'd only lose her temper again if she looked at the two targets of her anger. "Let's say I take this job, where are they going to stay and what about Team Natsu?"

The elderly man hesitated. "They'll be staying here with you for a year and you are expected to resign from your team for six months." He cautiously studied Lucy's face as it went blank and dark trying to process the new information

"No." She said bluntly not giving it a second thought. "I will not leave my friends for the people who tried to kill them." the irritation now showing in her voice.

"I'm sorry but you do not have a choice in the matter. You will still be able to see you teammates at the guild and go on missions with them one week out of each month, but your duty is now to these two. I'll explain this to Natsu and your team tomorrow. For now, you will spend the next three days laying down the basis of your relationship with Erik and Macbeth before coming back to Fairy Tail." Makarov's voice grew more firm, leaving no space for her argument. He understood where his child was coming from but her mouthing off was beginning to irritate him. He'd given her the mission and now she had to deal with it. Lucy knew she was to do what he said but there was so much more to this than just letting two strangers live with her.

The thought of Natsu struck her; She wouldn't be able to see her best friend as often as she usually did. Lucy heard the seriousness of his tone and doesn't question the final statement on the matter. "Fine" She said after a few moments of contemplating. Makarov dismissed himself, leaving Midnight and Cobra in her hands.

_**~Cobra POV~**_

"Alright." the blonde finally says after several moments of silence. "Here are the rules: 1) Stay out of my room unless I say you can come in. 2) Don't wake me up. 3) Stay out of my desk."

'Great, she was already starting off bitchy.' I thought.

I took the time to study her body posture and listen to her thoughts. Blondie kept her legs crossed and her crossed around her bust but she just looked tense altogether. Her thoughts were running rampant as she tried to digest entire situation and figure how it was going to play out. Food bills, rooming, teammates, all the while trying to push her disgust out of mind.

I felt my expression drop when when her thoughts turned to static but the blonde never turned to acknowledge me as to what just happened. _What the hell did she just do?_

"Cool little mind barrier spell, huh?" She commented nonchalantly, looking a bit cocky. It was short lived when she turned her attention to the half sleeping mage next to me.

I saw her eyes soften when she looked at his face. Almost like she cared about him. My entire body tensed as she walked toward him, forcing every muscle in my body to stay put. _She wasn't going to do anything to him,_ I had to tell myself but that didn't stop my hand from twitching to shove her away from him when she laid a hand to Midnight's shoulder. She only shook him. I felt a slight breath of relief leave my body as she only shook him to wake up. "Wake up. I have a bed you can sleep in if you get off the couch."

Even still, that hadn't completely relaxed me. I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that she was trying to _help_ him despite making it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with us. We both knew her "passion for forgiveness" was a load of utter bullshit, so why was she acting like it was true?

She shook him one more time, a little rougher. This time the Reflector mage's eyes slowly opened with sleep still glazed over them. He looked into her big brown orbs for a few moments then turned towards me with a questioning look. "We're in her house." I said answering his look. He continued to look at me, "She's the one we'll be staying with when we get put into the guild." He turned his attention back to Blondie then stood up. She walked him back to where I hoped was just the guest room.

When she returned she stared at me. 'Why' was all I could manage to ask her.

"What?" she answered.

"Why are you acting like you care?"

"All I did was follow orders because if I had a choice, I wouldn't be in my apartment at all." She shot back calmly, not giving it a second thought. She got up and tried to leave but I needed a real answer. I blocked her path off.

_**~Lucy POV~**_

Cobra jumped in front of me and his snake wrapped down his form. When his hands slammed into the wall on either side of my head, the sound thundered like it would have killed me had he hit me. My heart was hammering and stuttering in my ribcage and my breath grew shaky but my stupid pride didn't let me back down. I blame Natsu for my idiocy.

"What's your problem!?" I huffed, trying to comprehend why the man couldn't understand that I wanted nothing extra to do with him. Other than housing him and making sure he was a decent enough human being to be reintroduced to society (which I didn't see possible but that was just my opinion).

He repeated the question in a new way, "What's the real reason?"

"It's called being human not that you would understand." I responded sharply.

"I don't care what your goal is, but you hurt Midnight I hurt you and the rest of your guild." He retorted but I couldn't help but let a huge grin break out across my face. He did have a chance at being human! He had feelings for at least one person on this planet!

"Awe~ You're just looking out for Midnight, that's so cute."

The cutest shade of red appeared across his tan cheeks. Apparently he didn't want to admit it but he actually cared about his partner. I moved closer to him, watching the uncomfortable way he slightly stepped back. I took advantage of it, slipping out from beneath his left arm and around the giant snake.

"It's a long trip from Magnolia Pen, you must be hungry, right?. What do ya want to eat?" I said making my way to the kitchen, still observing the shock in his face. I was just glad I'd gotten a chance to get away. Every inch of my body was begging to get away, begging to escape and I couldn't do anything about it.

"Anything is fine." He muttered under his breath. I made hot apple cider and warmed up some leftover Chinese food. An uncomfortable silence loomed over us as we ate the makeshift dinner. Cobra raised his eyes to meet mine and all I saw was this utter, onyx darkness, wildly shifting and calculating with emotion I couldn't even begin to comprehend. The only way I could describe them was a turbulent winter sky in its deepest, darkest gray of night.

My breath caught in my throat and fear struck through my chest. He was one of the only people I couldn't get a read on when looking at them and the simple thought of… of ignorance was dominating everything I knew about him. What if he hadn't been reformed at the penitentiary? I could feel my heart uncomfortably clench and thump and hammer. I scrambled to gather my dirty glass and carry-out trash and get away from him. I just... I just needed a second to pull myself together again.

"You know what?..." I had to stop to catch my breath, feeling breathless and lightheaded like I was going to have a panic attack or something similar, "You're gonna need pajamas… My friend left some of his pajama pants last time he came over." I quickly shuffled to my room, not waiting for his response.

I shut my door and leaned back against it, breathing heavily. My lungs were burning and my eyes stung with tears. _I was scared of him._

My chest heaved as I rummaged through drawers, desperately looking for the clothes Gray had left over hear the last time he'd spent the night. If I could just get my mind off of this I could stop freaking but no matter what I thought of now, him and Midnight would still be in my apartment later. I stopped, tightly gripping the edge of the door, my knuckles a stark white.

_I'm going to be okay. I'm going to be okay. I'm going to be okay. _I repeated the mantra in my head but it didn't help. I was just going to have to do what I did everyday: Slap a smile on my face and ignore every inch of my being. A piece of me broke when I realized I would never be able to escape this fake feeling in my life.

_**~Cobra POV~**_

Lucy came back, her heart pounding against her rib cage like she had locked eyes with a tiger. Her entire body was tense in panic but her face… it was soft and almost kind with a genuine smile. I eyed her, trying to sort through the mixed messages of her form. I suppose she was innocent enough but there was this fierceness to her that I was finding oddly attractive but I couldn't stand it when I was working with Angel.

So what made Lucy any different?

She placed a pair of lounge pants and a black t-shirt on the table beside my food, "When you finish you can just throw the takeout container and the chopstick in the trash and put the glass in the sink. I'm headed to bed, goodnight." She left out the kitchen but that was little more than a haze to me.

Everything stopped. It had been a long time since I'd last heard someone say 'goodnight' but I hadn't expected it to make heart stop for a fucking second. Lucy was playing tricks on me and I didn't fucking like it. My heart was hammering in my chest and I didn't know what she did or when or how but I sure as hell wasn't going to sit there and do nothing about it.

I stood up and walked through the living room, toward where I thought was her room and only found Midnight in the bedroom. I walked back the way I'd came and found her on the couch. What the hell was wrong with me if she was in here fast asleep?

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: Hopefully you guys picked up on hints about future chapters some of you have already read! I made a slight difference compared to the original chapter one. If you remember, that chapter ended with Lucy trusting Cobra and falling asleep beside him like an old friend while watching a movie. Well, that was completely unrealistic and I thought fear would be a much better touch than instant friendship. Let me know what you guys thought! _**

**_Was this better or worse that the original?_**

**_Thanks for any feedback and thanks for reading!_**


	2. Ch 2: First Thing in the Morning

_**A/N: This time, I think the characters have a little more personality this chapter. Let me know how I did in the reviews! Happy Readings!**_

==Chapter 2: First Thing in the Morning==

~Lucy POV~

I woke up with the subconscious expectations of sunshine streaming in through my bedroom window as I huddled beneath the cover to block reality out just a bit longer. What I got wasn't any kind of bad. I woke up, wrapped in Natsu's arms, his warm, level breaths curling over the crown of my head as he continued to sleep; The altered was broken when I realized I was still pining for a taken Natsu, when I realized the man holding me wasn't Natsu.

I opened my eyes sliding them up Cobra's oh-so-amazing anatomy. Strong arms, hard chest, delicately sleeping face… I knew who he was but I couldn't bring myself to panic. Touching him just felt so right, so delicious. I looked at the way his eyebrows slightly furrowed above closed eyes before looking back at his chest. I had to do it. I mean he was asleep and I'd never gotten to do it before but I always see them at the guild and as horrible as I felt admitting it, the dude was sexy. I wanted to touch his abs.

My teeth lightly dug into my lower lip as I pressed my hand to his bare chest, sliding it up his chest, fingers brushing over sensitive skin. His entire body seemed to flinch and get tense with the beautiful udder of a moan. I let my finger run down the valley between his corded muscles and through the course hair that led down to a treasure that I desperately wanted to discover.

When Cobra shifts, it scares the hell out of me, fear making my heart and mind race with the thought that he may have been awake or is waking up. The moment was short lived before I quickly flipped over, back facing him. I elicited a quiet squeal when his arms tightened around my waist.

"Oh my god." The exclamation came out in a shrill whisper. What the hell was I thinking? He had to poison my food last night, or done something to make me act like that! This had never happened before and now it felt like I was going to get caught over doing something in the heat of the moment.

I was scared of him and I couldn't get a read on him and I felt like crying. He's a murderer that was going to add me and Team Natsu to what was probably already a long list. He's the reason I can't be with my team. Yet all I could think about was how warm he felt, pressed firmly against the groves of my back. Or the way his arms seemed so secure when they held me like his greatest purpose in life was protecting me. What the hell was wrong with me!?

I don't let small desires get the best of me like that. What did he do to me-

"I didn't do a thing. I'm the victim here." Cobra dipped his head head down to groggily mutter the words into my ear and I could practically hear the smile in his voice as the shudder ran down my spine, "I try to be nice and keep you warm last night because you gave your bed to Midnight. Then I wake up to be sexually harassed."

My cheeks flamed redder than his hair but that didn't keep me from facing him head on. It was enough he was listening in on my thoughts but I wasn't going to let him make me out to be the bad guy! I quickly threw up the mind barrier before interrupting him, "I didn't ask you to keep me warm last night!" I practically hissed, not the slightest bit ashamed to be defending myself to an ex-con of all people!

"I did it out of the kindness of my beautiful heart." He gave me a toothy grin. I muttered a quiet 'whatever' under my breath before he continued, "What do I get out of this deal?" He tugged me closer and that was the first time I realized he hadn't let go yet.

On a whim, I kind of on purpose accidentally pushed him off of the narrow couch and smiled when I heard his pained grunt. He was lucky there was carpeting. "Well let's see," I looked down at him lying on his back from my vantage point, "You have a free place to live, free food, I'm buying you clothes, I'm the first girl to touch you in, what? Five years? And if I might add, I'm pretty fucking sexy. I think the least you can do is keep me warm when I give up my bed to your partner."

I stood up and for a second I considered stepping on him, but decided against it before heading toward the kitchen. "You moaned so it must've felt nice." I said under my breath, well aware of the fact that he heard me loud and clear.

And damn, did it feel good to set him straight on how this relationship would work for the next year.

~Cobra POV~

Lucy stood over the kitchen counter, arm making quick motions as she stirred the pancake batter. Once again, her body looked just as tense as it had when we were eating last night. Even still, she'd volunteered to make breakfast. I didn't understand her. Her entire being was a complete and utter contradiction. She blushed innocently and told people off at the same time. She was apparently a smart, busty, blonde with that damned mind barrier of hers. She said she didn't act on a whim yet she touched me- That was another thing.

She thinks I'm the one doing shit when I could have sworn it was it was her… I've never responded to someone's touch like that and it would be a cold day in hell that I'd admit it to her. The blonde was cocky enough in her own twisted way I had yet to comprehend but I wanted to. I wanted to figure this woman out and maybe get some other benefits in the process because there was no way around admitting she was sexy as fuck.

"_Casanova_, you do know it's rude to stare, don't you?" Her stiff voice pulled me from my train of thoughts. I had been going somewhere with that. Whatever.

"Well, _Doll Face_," I returned the pet name, "It's also rude to sexually harass people in their sleep." I didn't appreciate her taking advantage of my body when I was sleeping. I had actually tried to keep her warm because I didn't know where the covers were and she was shivering. Was I really supposed to just leave her be?

"Actually, _Hun Bun_, that deliciously, gorgeous sound you made betrayed you." I glared at her and she stared right back at me as her tongue made a quick swipe along the wooden spoon in hand. Fuck. I shifted slightly uncomfortable, wanting nothing more than to make elicit the same sounds and make her forget my own. She tossed the spoon in the sink and her body still looked a little stiff as she made the effort to relax.

"That was against my will, _Heart Breaker_. You manipulated me when I was half asleep."

"You're the one that snuck into my sleeping space, _Hot Stuff_, and if you do it again, I may not be so kind next time." Her smile was as "kind" as the devil and I couldn't help but be amused. I was going to pick at her until I figured out what the hell made her tick.

"You're as kind as a shark, _Darling_, but just to set the record straight, I told you exactly what I was doing." I smirked watching her shocked face, drinking from the coffee mug she'd handed me earlier.

"You haven't even began to see how evil I can be, _Love_. By the way, I'm taking you to the mall today!" Yeah, she killed the little bit of amusement I'd had for the day. This was hardly reasonable! There was no way in hell she was taking me to a fucking mall.

Midnight finally made his lazy way into the kitchen to have the now, overly cheerful blonde greet him (Why the hell did she have to be a morning person?). He turned his glare on me, like I had done something wrong. His questioning, sleep glazed eyes flickered to Lucy then me. "That's Lucy." I answered the silent question, returning to my white coffee mug.

"Hm?" Lucy asked, hearing her name called.

"Nothing." I retorted, feeling a little bitter. I didn't wanna speak to her with her idiotic ideas.

"That's really childish, Cobra. If you're gonna call my have something to say." She placed a mug of coffee in front of Midnight and said it was steaming hot. He just kinda stared at the mug and grunted in response. She then put a plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes on the place mat in front of him. It looked really good compared to the food they served in the Magnolia Prison. She then sat down with her plate and left an opening in front of me.

"Where's my food?"

"In the skillet, _Stud_." She smiled as she ate a small piece of her pancake, "Midnight got food because he's my favorite. He doesn't do petty things, like sneak into people's beds." The last part came out little more than a grumble. I stood up, grumbling a few unfriendly things of my own as I went to go get my food.

"You said it yourself that it was the least I could do, _Babe_." I growled. She let out a long hum as I returned to the table with my plate.

"A cover would have been nice, _My Prince_. Most people have common sense." Lucy stared at me as she placed the loaded fork into her mouth the stood up and called out "I open thee gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

"Why are you so damn lou-"

The room flooded with a flash and this pink haired chick showed up in the middle of the room. "How may I be of assistance, Princess?"

"Princess?" Midnight looked at Lucy, finally wide awake.

I grinned, more than a little amused, "You're more conceited than I thought."

"I didn't choose the nickname, Dumbass." She snapped at me without even looking back -so rude. "Good morning, Virgo! Could you please get some clothes that suit these two?" The pink haired girl disappeared.

"What was that?" Midnight spoke up. This was the first time he seemed to give a fuck about a single thing that went on in the room.

"Virgo is not a that." Lucy responded, the irritation evident in her voice. "Virgo is a celestial spirit, one of the strongest. She's also my friend and I would prefer you not to call her a that."

"Excuse me; Didn't mean to offend you or your spirit thing." I flashed him a toothy grin. He was a malicious person and called Virgo a thing on purpose. I was just curious as to what Lucy was going to do about it. My eyes flickered between her and my teammate. Interestingly enough, Lucy held completely still, watching Midnight as if she was calculating something. It didn't take long to realise what it was she was calculating.

"Lucy Kick!"

…

…

She was figuring how far she could kick Midnight across the room (it was pretty far if I might add). Blondie was apparently stronger than she looked, he was passed out on the floor, and I thought this was the most hilarious thing I'd seen since being released.

Lucy turned her attention to me. "Do you have something to say?" She challenged.

I just shook my head furiously, "Not a thing, Darling."

And that was the end of that.

~Midnight's POV~

I stared at the ground as I followed behind Cobra and the blonde, tugging at the neck of the shirt neck that felt tighter than a dog collar. I still couldn't bring myself to look at her nor did I really even want to. I hadn't dared glanced at her since I woke up and she looked like she wanted to murder me as she handed me the clothes from her spirit slave.

I started to undo the buttons of the stupid blue dress shirt until it hung open and ripped the faded gray jeans at the knees because it was too damn hot. I was fine with the ugly jeans then she forced me to wear the shirt but she had shit completely and utterly twisted in that small brain of hers when she thought I was going to wear a tie… I don't like her. We finally stopped at the entrance of the 'Magnolia Shopping Center' and Blondie turned around. Her mouth dropped open and she swallowed hard when she looked at us.

"What the hell did you guys do!?" Her voice was shrill and ultimately just annoying.

A smirk crawled across my face. I was pretty satisfied with pissing her off but a part of me was still treading carefully on the matter, trying to find what was going too far. Of course I wouldn't dare share this with anyone. Most people were idiots and just take as me being scared of her. I wasn't. Getting kicked just wasn't on my agenda when I couldn't hit her back but that was another subject. I don't know what the hell they did to me in that prison but I just couldn't bring myself to be my old self.

"Well, Blondie, I got too hot. So I… Adjusted." I hooked my thumb in the waistband and enjoyed the way her eyes followed and lingered. I trailed my hand around toward the front and she followed until they began going up over my abs. This was gonna be fun. That's at least what I thought until Cobra started growling and stood in her line of view- What in the hell…? That was new from him.

Blondie's eyes were definitely more eager to take him in over me and my teeth gritted slightly. Cobra had completely lost his shirt all together some time during the walk and wrapped his tie around his head so that the edges hung off to the side. Her cheeks flushed and the red looked almost like it would stain permanently. Her gaze looked like she had been mapping out exactly how she would slide her hands over the muscled V that dipped into his low-slung, black jeans.

Cobra glanced back at me with a crooked smirk before turning back to his new prey.

"Don't worry," I was the first to speak up from the tense silence as I passed her, heading toward the door, "Girls stare all the time; It only makes you a slight perv."

She whirled around, back facing Cobra and eyes finally back on me. The struggle to actually look me in my eyes and not at my chest. Her mouth hung open, dumbstruck. So maybe this would be fun… seeing how far or how close I could push them. He let loose another growl as he leaned into her ear to whisper something. The bad part is he'd always been shitty at whispering. Damn.

"I love the way you look at me… the way your eyes run over my body. It makes me think about the way you touched me this morning."

Oh holy fucking shit! That was disgusting. I could feel my stomach churning but Blondie's seemed to tighten in a different way as she moved away from him reluctantly. What the fuck did I just start?

"Well," She clapped her hands nervously, striding toward the door, "We did come to the mall to stand outside, did we?"

That left me and Cobra outside to look at one another. I suppose he had the upper hand in looks. I could admit that but that didn't change the fact that I had the upper hand in mischief. He looked jealous as all fuck and I was simply amused. He groused something under his breath before heading into building.

I sighed. Some people are so rude.

* * *

><p>The girl dragged us around the for ten minutes before she just stopped in the center of the room. God Damn! I was beginning to wonder if she had ever even step foot in this building herself and everywhere we went, there was always someone staring at us like a fucking spectacle. There's a shirtless guy with a tie around his head, a pale guy with beads in his black and white hair, and a pretty, busty blonde in a tight tube top and a short skirt walking around the mall. So what!?<p>

There were these two people in particular sitting in one of the small resting areas. Both had the same weird, pale green eyes that followed us wherever we went. It was one thing to give odd glances, it was another to stalk people.

I stared at them and the girl looked away but the guy… he just kept staring. Fucking weirdo.

"I just gotta get something for myself real quick, guys." Blondie spoke up and I just kinda muttered something and dismissed the situation; I didn't care. I was particularly removed from the situation, having a stare off with him. That was until Blondie stopped in front of this one really pink store. The sign was pink dotted with white hearts and had the words Victoria's Secret sprawled across it. In the window there mannequins wearing underwear with wings attached to their backs. Like hell I'm going in there.

"HELL NO!" Cobra and I yelled in unison.

Lucy attempted to hide the smirk tugging at the edges of her slim lips; I didn't like this girl. I didn't want to spend time with her. I didn't want to go into this fucking store with her but I sure as hell wasn't standing outside with the creeper twins.

I suppose if they had absolutely nothing better to do than stare, they could kiss my ass.


	3. Ch 3: The Jealousy Game

**.:Lucy POV:.**

I dragged the guys into Victoria's Secret but in all honesty, I didn't need anything from this store. All I needed was to buy some time. Seeing them squirm was fun and all but I had to figure out where the hell to take them shopping. Cobra didn't seem to have the most conventional style; it was just a matter of finding the right place, though. Midnight, though… He was just kinda weird and it left my brain muddled with stupid questions. Do I need to take him to a place that sells black lipstick? Is that his natural lip color? Does he like other colors? Maybe dark blue? _Damn._

I couldn't help but wonder if Cobra would be the best person to ask questions about Midnight. I glanced back at him. His face scrunched up in a grimace, the slight pink gracing his cheeks complemented his tan skin so perfectly. He followed closely behind like a lost puppy. _Why the hell was he so cute?_

The heels of my shoes scraped across the floor as I came to an abrupt stop. _WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!?_ No! I always have control over myself, my thoughts. He had to be doing something to me, right? Even with the frantic part of me desperately begging that it was him messing with my thoughts, the logical part was saying that wasn't possible! Cobra slammed into my back hard enough where I would have fallen to my knees had he not caught me by my waist when he tripped, but that wasn't even the awkward part. There were actually multiple things that made this a losing situation for me.

The first being that he had me standing on all fours with my ass pressed firmly to his hips. His body had wrapped its way around me, limbs matching my own, outstretched to the floor to prevent the once impending impact of the cold tiles. Lungs quickly huffing out hot air and eyes wide, I stared at the floor just a couple of inches from my nose. Stunned, I was trying to decide if I would have had a broken nose. Or maybe a harshly bruised and bloody forehead had he not wrapped his (oh-so-muscular) arm around me. My eyelashes batted as reality sputtered its way back into the picture.

_Cobra... Has his arm... Around my waist... Bending us over... With my ass on his crotch_... _Like he's about to... I can't even finish this _thought.

The next biggest problem was the fact that I was still sitting there like an idiot.

The next problem was I was still sitting there like a fucking idiot, but that wasn't even the worse part! Not even close. The worse part would be that my skin was tingling everywhere he was touching… that I was more than a little tempted to pull him closer… press my lips to his… feel his warm, calloused hands run over my body…

See! This is not okay! I can't control the way I think and feel and it's all his fault.

I fell to my hands and knees and scrambled out from underneath him. I took a seat on the floor a good yard away from him. My eyes raised to a face redder than my and rigidly straight (hard, half-naked, muscular, sexy) body that mirrored my own. I was the first to break the odd silence that loomed in the empty back department of Victoria's Secret.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" The question got a few questioning looks from wanderers in the front of the store, but I couldn't quite find the efforts to care. Cobra glared down at me, eyebrows knitted together in confusion… or anger.

"WHAT!? You're the one that tripped and put your ass on me!" He fired back.

"As if! You grabbed my hips!"

"That's because you tripped me when you stopped mid-step and you were about to kiss the fucking floor!"

"I wouldn't have stopped if you weren't messing with my thoughts!" I hissed. He was _not _going to pin this on me. He was the reason I stopped in the first place and why I couldn't move afterward! He had to be messing with me, that's the only way I could explain it! He had to be lying this morning when he said he wasn't doing anything.

His onyx eyes narrowed further, his next words very cautious as if I were the danger in the situation to be taken care of diligently, "No. You're the one playing mind games."

"That's a complete lie! I don't know what you're doing," My tone dropped low in warning, "But you need to quit."

"You know what? Get your shit straight before you fucking accuse people!" Cobra yelled before storming back out the store.

Get… Get _my _shit straight? He did not just tell me to get my shit straight and walk out! He had no right to be pissed. I was the one being manipulated. Does he have any idea what it's like being controlled? Having someone else manipulate the way you think and how your body reacts? My body quaked and tensed when my heart clenched. It was like someone's cold, slender fingers tenderly wrapped around my heart and squeezed. I wasn't using theatrics and metaphors. The air rushed from my lungs as the frosty clench put me on the verge of a heart attack.

I sat still waiting for scary sensation to pass. Devastatingly slow, it passed and in that time Midnight had taken his seat next to me.

"Aww, your first lovers' quarrel. So cute."

Blinking a few times, I relieved the trance that fell over me. I glanced over at Midnight, not quite registering what he'd just said but when it did I pulled a bra from the rack and threw it at him. "He's not my stupid lover." I growled. At the moment, I didn't want any association with that man and I was questioning if I even wanted him in my apartment.

"It took you long enough to react." Midnight chuckled as though he hadn't just witnessed the blow up before him. I moved to get up and his hand snaked its way around my wrist. He drew me back down, this time setting me a little closer to him. "You know, he can't manipulate thoughts, right?"

My eyes widened marginally, but it didn't slip past Midnight. He had to be lying, though. That was the only possible reason for me to act the way I have been today. He continued, "Even if he could, he wouldn't. Not to you at least."

"What," I played his statement over in my head to put my muddled thoughts into a comprehensive question, "What do you mean at least not to me?" Why would I be different from anyone else? I suppose doing anything to me would make him lose his place to live but in Magnolia there are thousands of new apartments. He has no reason to treat me special. Or any reason to manipulate me for that matter.

"I think there's something else wrong with you two. Lovers that playfully banter over breakfast don't manipulate one another. And most ex-convicts and victims don't become lovers overnight. I'm just curious as to why…" Midnight seemed to be talking to himself for a minute before he glanced over at me for confirmation. His thinking was logical if he had gotten a major part of his information _wrong_.

"We're not lovers! You said it yourself. Victim plus convict does _not _equal lovers and we were _not _bantering over breakfast. I was trying not to call him some other things I had in my vocabulary. If we're not lovers, he has no reason not to manipulate."

"Okay, let's act like you're not lying about being lovers," He rolled his eyes. A part of me likes Midnight just because of his cocky personality and another part of me wants to choke him for it. Interesting. "He can't manipulate thoughts. Let's say I don't know my friend and he can manipulate, what's his motive to do it?"

"He's a manipulative convict looking to have fun with his new blonde toy." I hissed. That was all the motivation a psychopath needed.

"You're wrong there. He's an _**ex**_-con and if he wanted to have fun murder would be the best way."

"He can't murder me. He'd go back to prison if Fairy Tail doesn't get him first." The idea startled me and I tried to make logic of why he couldn't murder me.

"Now you're only half right. He _can _kill you. Easily. You're not expected back at the guild for another two days." A slight smile crept over his black lips and it sent chills down my spine as my body tensed, ready to take off running, "That's two days to hide your body and a head start to get out of the country..." He began muttering to himself before he seemed to come back to reality. He looked back to me and flashed the most charming smile that did nothing to dissolve the fear churning my stomach, "Sorry. Old habits die hard. Anyway, I proved he can kill you but he wouldn't for two reasons. For whatever reason, the prison's "rehabilitation" "changed" him. On top of that, it doesn't take a genius to figure out he treats you like you're special or something. I mean the man slipped into your bed solely to keep you warm"

"He doesn't treat me special, and I still think he's doing _something_." I pushed aside his comments. "I started having these really weird thoughts this morning and they're about him." I didn't want to believe that I was anything special to him. It's impossible. We basically just met yesterday. It's so much more terrifying to believe he would still hurt me but I'd choose that over having feelings or desires toward a man like him. Still, I don't know… I felt a kind of odd comfort with him.

I just can't explain it. _Yet._

**.: Cobra POV :.**

"You know what? Get your shit straight before you fucking accuse people!" I yelled. I left the store before she could start throwing more shit at me. I wasn't fucking doing it! One day. Just one fucking day I've been here and she's already accusing me for stuff I can't even do. A part of me is saying this is what it's gonna be like everyday of the next year. Blondie was the one playing mind games, altering shit when she decided she was going to use blockage spells. It was probably some kind side effect from doing it wrong.

I want to hate her. It'd make life a hell of a lot easier if I could just avoid her altogether but I don't _want _to. She's interesting. Probably the most interesting person I'm gonna get to talk to as long as I have 'ex-con' hanging over my head. Why the hell is the one person that's willing to talk to me like a human have to be a girl? She'd kind of messed shit up in my head. I'd already had it set that people weren't going to treat me normally and I was probably gonna be able to get away with a lot stuff. Now there's someone willing to fight back and it's one of the sexiest chicks I've ever laid eyes on. She keeps putting these stupid thoughts in my head but I can't fight them.

All day my hands have been itching to reach for her, to feel her skin under my fingertips like it was this morning. The way she touched me… it was light and faint and it sent heat coiling in my stomach. And the way she felt pressed up against my hips-

"_Damn_." She was going to drive me crazy.

I reached the end of whatever empty employee hall I had turned down when it felt like the air was knocked out of my chest. The breath sputtered from my lungs as my heart began to clench and constrict like I was having a heart attack. It just kept getting tighter and colder. My body began tensing like it was shutting down, starting at my heart.

Just as quickly as it had started, it ended. Gone with the bare remnants of the feeling. I was left on my knees feeling like I had just escaped a near death experience. I couldn't pull enough air back into my lungs without feeling out of breath, chest still heaving. I had to sit back against the wall, trying to pull some understanding as to what had just happened. I couldn't.

I stared at the ceiling, somewhere else. Anywhere but at this damn mall where there was a screaming blonde and my chest was sore for no reason. I would have no problem leaving but there was just one little problem. I kind of didn't know where the fuck this mall was and how the hell I got home from here. The only part of the trip I remembered was when we got to the store and Blondie was staring at Midnight and I got this tightness in my chest but I knew exactly what it was.

I was jealous she was staring at him and had no reason to (or even the right to). I had no connection to her yet it was an unforgettable sensation when I touched her, it felt odd to do anything that would disappoint her (like snap at the green-eyed twins watching us walk through the mall), and it damn sure pissed me off that she was always in my head. I swear I had a dream of the chick last night but never once had her face crossed my mind a second after the whole Nirvana thing. I was screwed and would have to deal with this for another year because people that've never even looked at me thought it would be best for my "growing morale to be reintroduced into society by a model citizen."

I was probably better off in prison.

I came to my feet looking around to see that no one had witnessed my episode. Following the path I came, I went back. Where I was going, I had no idea but I wanted to leave this fucking mall. My eyes fell on the green-eyed chick that had apparently been looking for me. Her brother was gone.

"How do I get out of here?" I didn't leave any room for her to question why I would want to leave. She looked startled to find that I had come up to her. Was I not suppose to notice her stalking?

"I'll show you, I guess. My name's Piper by the way." She hummed as she stood from the food court table.

"I really didn't care." I growled. Honestly, I didn't want her guiding me. I was tired of socializing with people today. Blondie pissed me off to no end, "Piper" and her brother made me wary, and Midnight made me jealous to some extent. I didn't feel like fucking with people now. All she had to do was point in the direction and I would be on my way off to some place but I didn't feel like arguing with her.

"Rudeness." She mumbled under her breath. "You know, you shouldn't force your girlfriend into sex. Especially in public."

If I could, I would have glared a hole into the back of her head. "That's not what happened and that's none of your fucking business." I growled. This whole good conscience thing was growing annoying. No matter how much fun it would be to poison that slushee in her hand it would be "wrong". A sigh slipped past my lips as I followed her, already expecting some kind of argument from her.

"That's not what it looked like, Erik." I nearly tripped over my own feet, after hearing Erik. That hasn't been my name since I joined Oracion Seis. _Erik _was too naïve and stupid. That's how I got fucked over and in prison, then with a babysitter that was gonna try and make my life a living hell.

"That's not my name." I played it off as coolly as possible without murdering her. "What the fuck do you want _Piper_?"

"I'm a rather close… friend of one of your many victims. I just wanted to meet the man that tried to kill him." Her tone was sickly sweet as she continued to walk forward without looking back. The hurt was evident and I guess I felt bad or whatever but what was I supposed to do about it now? The guy was still alive and I doubt I was on his list of people to see before he dies.

"I send my sincerest apologies," I spoke the lines wardens had Midnight and I practice in the case that we came across a victim or something with an impartial hum. It was unlike me to _not _go off script, though. It was only natural I stay true to who I was and that wasn't apologetic in the slightest especially when I wasn't interested in being social. "However, that was a long time ago. Chances are I wouldn't even remember his face but it's nice to know I've check someone off of my long list of people to apologize to you."

Her shoulders tensed and she stopped walking. I let out a long sigh as I stopped behind her. Piper swirled around on her heels, eyes losing that cheerful little glow she possessed when she introduced herself and a sadistic smile creeping over her lips. "I just wanted to give you the heads up. I am going to murder you and my brother has first dibs on your girlfriend's virginity but your sidekick is probably just gonna die in the process. 'Kay?"

The bitch had barely gotten her sentence out before my fingers were tangled up in the roots of her hair. I was gonna take a lot of pleasure snatching out every last patch of hair from her head if I saw her again but for now, it was just I warning. She glared up at me, not even an inch from my face when I pulled her nice and close. "You touch either one of them, I will kill you and your brother but not before every waking second of your god damned torture. I have a very… _select _set of skills and I will have a fucking ball seeing how many different way I can burn you from the inside out with poison. How many times you can be stabbed before you bleed out. How many times you can be raped by a few friends from prison." Her eyes wavered with fear, trying to regain her cold glare but I was already having fun. I could already feel the last shreds of control slipping from my hands with the images of her torture going through my head. "I'm already going to hell, I can take you with me. I'll even make sure to tell your mom you said bye."

"Cobra!" Blondie's voice rang out. _Damn. _It took all of my strength to let her go. Piper's body was trembling with relief when Blondie interrupted. I skeptically watched her and Midnight come from Victoria's Secret, waiting to see if she had seen the exchange between me and my new friend. It was obvious Midnight had seen it clear as day when he watched me with wide eyes but the blonde remained oblivious. "Who's this?"

"Oh!" I reached out and grabbed Piper by her bicep, pulling her back in close to remind her we weren't done, "This is Piper, she was kind enough to guide me back when I got lost. Piper, this is Lucy and that's Midnight." She was doing her best to hide her trembling and it would have got past a regular person like Blondie but Midnight seemed rather alert to the situation as he began to ease toward her. He was gonna try to ease my grip on her before I shot him down with a glare.

"It was nice to meet you guys but my brother is waiting for me! I have to go." Her voice was surprisingly solid as she tried to wrench herself from my grip. I flashed flashed her a sick smile, my free hand gently caressing her chin then gently cupping the side of her neck.

"Watch who you threaten next time." I whispered into her ear as if I were trying to whisper sweet nothings to her.

She pulled back and forced a smile, "I won't make any promises. Call me." She flirted back in a sultry voice before finally snatching herself away with a wink. My toothy smile didn't fade until she was out of sight. _Fun_~

Blondie was glaring at me open mouthed as if I'd just slapped her. "WHAT THE HELL DID I DO NOW!?"

She closed her mouth and opened it a few times before finally speaking, "Absolutely nothing."

_She sounded bitter._ She proved me right when she basically stormed off. What she was bitter about? I had no idea and I was beginning to think I would never know with her. I clenched my jaw as my shoulders fell in defeat. I was never going to win with her.

I began to follow behind her before ready to accept her as just a difficult person before Midnight grabbed me and yanked me back.

"What the hell was that!?" He hissed and I recoiled. Great. I pissed Mommy off.

"She threatened us. I wasn't going to actually do anything." I lied. He glared at me, seeing right through the lie. "I was only gonna do bad things to bad lady, Mama." I pouted.

"Like hell you were. Remember when you were only gonna do stuff to the warden that kept messing with you? That turned into you going on a rampage against anyone that tried to stop you." He ignored my nickname for him before proceeding to act accordingly.

"That was one time. Let it go." I proceeded on the path I had started behind Blondie and he didn't stop me this time. I was completely in control… for the most part.

**.:Lucy POV:.**

_Dear Mom, _

_I haven't written to you in a couple of days and I'm sure you've seen that my living situation has been complicated with two new criminal roommates. I don't know what I'm going to do. I want to forgive them and they seemed to have genuinely become better people but I'm not quite there yet. Does that make any sense? Midnight seems a little crazy but in a maintained way, I guess. Then there's Cobra and he keeps manipulating me with these weird thoughts that actually do make me feel good but then I keep thinking they're not mine despite them feeling so natural. I felt so angry with him today after an incident at the mall (I won't go into details), then I felt this heartache when he left, worried when he didn't come back for a long time, then almost jealous when he came back with another girl! I know this is what it feels like when you're in love with someone but I CAN'T BE IN LOVE WITH HIM! He tried to kill me and even if I did forgive him, I've only known him a day! I think he's driving me insane and I can finally take a deep breath for the first time in two days now that the guys are sleep (I think I tired them out with shopping). _

_I'll talk to you soon and hopefully by then I have an answer as to what I'm going to do with my life. _

_Love you,_

_Lucy._

With that, I folded the letter and neatly tucked it into the envelope. I looked at it a long time before sealing it shut with the wax, finally taking in what I'd just confessed. I put the letter with the others. My elbows fell to the desk and I held my face in my hands. I let my eyes drift shut, just to rest for a second

The thoughts I keep having feel good but I kept fighting them so hard. Going by anything I know about myself, it was only a matter of days before I was forgiving him but why? It's been an entire year since we broke so why wouldn't I just let myself feel good with someone else like Cobra? He's a good guy, so what am I fighting? Too many questions for myself and it was only making me sleepier and sleepier. Maybe it was just all the emotions I've been through in one day or just all the shopping I did to find them entire wardrobes.

I still couldn't help but feel a little jealous about that girl, Piper. Jeez, she was gorgeous. Tall, tan skin, brown hair with red and blonde highlights and those stupid green eyes. She looked like a fucking perfect match for Cobra but the thing I couldn't get out of my head was the way that he touched her so gently. Touched her like they had just finished doing some things out of the eyes of the public. _Damn._

I finally accept that I think I just might want the man and it looks like he's been taken just that quick. Too much has happened in one day and all I want to do is sleep.

"Lulu~" Just when I was beginning to fall asleep against my desk, Cobra called me with new, stupid nickname and I felt my cheeks glow red. My head snapped up to make sure my letter was far out of his line of sight. He didn't need to know anything that I just confessed.

"What?" I felt my cheeks heat and redden further when my eyes landed on his bare chest. It was only natural that I followed the trial of muscle down to the band of his lounge pants. I forced myself to look back up at him and he looked restless like he'd been tossing and turning for hours since we got home. "What's wrong, Hun?"

"I can't sleep in the same bed with another grown man." Really? That was his problem!?

"You can have my bed." I begin putting away my stationery supplies, carefully and delicately placing each and every piece back in its specified place in my desk. Aparently I wasn't sleeping in my own bed tonight, never mind that's all I really wanted.

"Where are you gonna sleep then?"

"With Midni-"

"No! I mean… Y- you just can't sleep with him!" He stumbled over his own words. Odd. He didn't have a problem with me sleeping on the couch with him. What was wrong with Midnight?

"Well, I'm not sleeping on the couch again. Where do you suppose I sleep? Outside?"

**.: Cobra POV :.**

I couldn't decide if she was dense or if she was dense or if she just wanted me to say it out loud that it felt weird sleeping without her after only one day. _God_, I've been itching to touch her all day today and now it feels like she's just flaunting it in those damn shorts and tank top.

"You could always sleep in here… with me." I bit my lip as she weigher her options. What more did she want from me?

"I think I'll pass. Midnight seems less huggy." She spoke, already having made up her mind and leaving out the door. Before I could even think about, my arms were wrapped around her waist, holding her still and pulling her tight. I nuzzled into the crook of her neck, taking in a deep breath. _She smelled so good. _I could feel her tremble under my touch in the best way possible, slightly sinking back into my chest.

"Please, Lulu~" I couldn't believe I was begging her, "I don't want to sleep by myself." I purred into her ear.

"Fine." She finally gave in and reluctantly, I let her go so she could actually get in her bed. What was wrong with me? The one time I let my guard down around a little blonde and I get the feeling she's wrapped me around her pinky finger like a ring and doesn't even know.

I had a plan that I was gonna get the hell out of here exactly one year from today and get a place at an apartment building I saw on the way to her house the first day. It didn't take a genius to figure out I had a soft spot for her because she's the first person to yell at me and get away with it and she's the first chick I've been itching to touch. When you walk through a mall shirtless you can get a lot attention from chicks but I want _her. _

Blondie laid down in her bed and I settled behind her, the way I had yesterday. The only difference between then and now is she had this really weird tattoo on the back of her neck that trailed down over her shoulder. I leaned back a little to take it in as a whole and the second I saw what it really the tribal dragon, I realized just how fucked over I was. _She couldn't be…_

"Good night." Blondie mumbled pulled my arm over her waist and the other under her head as a pillow. She really was mine but whether she was going to accept this or not was a whole other question. I took a deep breath, trying to expel them shiver forcing its way up my spine.

"Night." I hummed way more than a little content.

Now I was left with the question as to how the hell I was gonna break this to her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I'm sorry! No excuse for being weeks late, just started binge reading fanfics and got sidetracked. However, I think this was a really good chapter, a little different from the original. You guys got to see Midnight and Cobra like **__**recovering**_ _**psychopaths with some old habits and tendencies. Also, my OC Piper is gonna play a huge role in the far future of the story but don't worry about her showing up at Fairy Tail or anything.**_

_**Let me know what you guys think in the Reviews. Thanks for reading!**_


	4. IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ!

**IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION!**

**What up peeps!I want to address three things. I'm explaining this quickly in the summary below but if you want more detail they're in the bullets at the bottom:**

**Summary**

I've been working on two projects at the same time, so fanfics have been getting less work time. Here's my solution: I'm putting down everything else and working 10x harder to finish all one-shots and New Roommates this year and taking a break next year to work a comic. If you're curious about the comic (with no name yet), I will eventually post the link to my DeviantArt with story art and a short summary on my profile page!

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><p>#1 - One-Shot Requests<p>

I realize a lot of you requested one-shots and haven't gotten them yet. They were put on hold when I started over with New Roommates but fear not! They will get done this year, in the next couple of months!

#2 - I Quit... Next Year

Yeah. New Roommates is definitely ending this year because it's been going very slowly for over a year. After that and the one-shots are completed, I'm taking a break in 2016 to start a new project: a comic!

#3 - I'm Making a WebComic Next Year

Yes, I'm advertising. I'm starting a comic and I would say it's something like Men In Black meets Soul Eater, kind of. And if you're even remotely interested in my story telling skills or curious about my art skills, I will eventually link my dA account once I get the pictures up and a short summary on my profile page!

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><p><strong>That's it! Thanks for reading and the next New Roommates chapter will be posted Wednesday or Thursday! Hopefully, I'll finally get on a schedule, working 'round the clock!<strong>


	5. Ch 4: To Hell and Back (Pt 1)

_**.:Lucy POV:.**_

_I woke bathed in warm gold, the deep mauve of the night sky broken by the sliver of sunlight still peaking over the horizon. Slowly, the sun sank beneath the horizon, stealing with it the beautiful wash of pinks and oranges from the sky and the last beams of light from our room. The night sky was as it should be, the deepest and darkest of blues. _

_I turned in his embrace, tucking my head under his chin as I sunk into his chest. I could hear his heartbeat; slow and steady. My thumb stroked his hand idly_. _His fingers were long and more defined than my own. Rough and calloused. I couldn't help but think they'd been through so much, just as he had. But I've never wanted to know the pain and horror he'd suffered and inflicted. He wasn't who he used to be and now he was mine. That's all that mattered._

_I relinquished my hold on his hand in exchanged for the rise and fall of his chest. Gradually, my hand followed every dip and curve of his muscles, even nick and jag of his scars, every tit and tat of his heartbeat. I drew in a deep breath of his scent. A small smile pricked my lips as he let out a soft sigh and his hold on me tightened. _

_He was so exhausted when we got back from our mission. Midnight had abandoned us for his room the second we walked through the door and Cobra dragged me into bed and went to sleep before the sun even began to set. I gladly went to sleep in his arms and I wouldn't have traded a single second of the moment I had with him now. He was a perverted nuisance at times and the thought that I was head over heels for him baffled me everyday but he was my perverted nuisance._

_My eyes wandered over his body down to the thin white sheet draped over his hips, shielding the most delicious part of his anatomy. __**I pressed a kiss to his neck, slowly dragging my tongue over his delicious skin.**_ _My heart was already hammering in my chest from the intimacy of our bodies pressed delicately together...It was hard to pull away from him but I knew I had to let the guild know we were alive and well after a week long mission. Slowly, I peeled myself away from the warmth of our shared bed into the cool air...only to be quickly dragged back in by strong arms._

_He grinned from beneath me, eyes darkly glimmering at my feeble attempts to extricate myself._

_**"C-Cobra! Let me go - I have to -" I was cut off by a kiss, deep and hard against my lips as my mate reached up for me. I lost my entire train of thought, letting the sensation overtake me. He chuckled. I hated when he manipulated me like this!**_

_**"You can't just leave me like that after what you started, Doll." Shivers forced their way down my spine as he spoke into my ear.**_

_**I was going to ask him exactly what it was I had started before he made it very clear. Cobra bucked his hips into me and I moaned as this blindingly sweet bliss rolled over me with the gentle thrust. I had no idea how I hadn't noticed his arousal but what was even more surprising was his impressive libido. A deep, dark blush swirled over my cheeks.**_

"_**Mmm..." he pressed his lips to my skin, everywhere he could reach; twisted my body to mold to his; his hands caught my legs, leaving harsh, unforgiving bruises to worry about later but for now… for the time being, he could spread my legs to compensate as far as they would go if I could feel him again. His hips rolled into mine time and time again, as if he to prove every ounce of his sexual bravado. His hands dug into my hips as he readjusted my body for one purpose: tear and burn every seam of jeans that gripped and covered my curves. **_

_**He tucked his long slender fingers in the waistband and the tear provoking sound of my favorite jeans ripping and being burned away by acidic poison eating away at them (a skill that he'd perfected just to destroy my wardrobe). But Mavis did it feel good when he pressed our lower bodies closer together. **_

_**I felt heat coil tightly in my stomach, spreading and weaving around the core of my being. My resolve weakened but not even nearly crumbled. My eyes connected with his, striking onyx showing exactly the level of passion he was feeling. It reflected unto me, made your heart beat in sync with his. Lowly, huskily, Cobra murmured a string of incoherent statements into my ear, all except one, "I'm going to take you now."**_

"_Cobra...! We really sh-should get t-to...oo...ohhh..." His hips pistoned into me far rougher this time, and every ounce of my being wanted to scream 'Take me, I'm yours.' but I couldn't! I needed to go!_

_In another weak attempt to get away I learned toward the end of the bed… I didn't expect it to actually work. I slipped from his arms and off the bed, I felt myself tense as I prepared to collide with the floor-_

* * *

><p><em><strong>.:General POV:.<strong>_

Lucy's eyelids snapped open to stare at the ceiling, her body trying to catch up with reality as she exhaled. She was tucked away in her bed, limbs half tangled in the comfort of her sheets, and her core churning desperately for hot, _hot _release. To her left were bright red, digital numbers burning the time 4:50 AM into her sight. And she knew who was to her right. Who was breathing hot curls of air over the sensitive skin of her neck. Whose head was tucked into her neck and nose in her hair, slowly breathing in the deep smell of her hair. _Mavis, _did she want to look but if she did…Lucy was going to do a lot more than looking.

_**She needed to remove herself from the situation.**_

The air was crushed from her lungs when she shifted and her thick thighs touch and the wet heat between her legs is stimulated just enough to make her whimper. Never had she felt her body ache like this or ever had such a vivid, _deliciously hot wet _dream of the man in her bed that made her fingers itch to drag over his _hard, chorded _body…

_**She needed to remove herself from the situation NOW!**_

She tried despite every inch of her body crawling with the need to be touched. With every cringe and whimper, Lucy slid down the bed, trying her best to not touch Cobra's damned body as she moved to escape to the bathroom… Only to have her very pitiful attempt getaway dragged back up the bed and into his chest.

As one arm desperately locks around her waist, his rough hand presses into the apex of her thighs to guide her ass into his hard-on. _Mavis! _Lucy's body squirmed, trying to hold back the orgasm that was ripping and lashing at every defense she had. It was enough she was wet. The last thing she needed was an orgasm that would wake up a fucking Dragon Slayer.

"You smell so good..." Cobra muttered. And she stopped. Everything stopped as the numbers continued to slowly change on her clock and she waited to see if he was asleep, awake, or in that god forsaken place in between. The moraless and wild subconscious that defied common sense and logic.

When he didn't move any further or speak anymore, Lucy bit her lip in a heated debate with herself. What if she had her way with him? He wouldn't remember anything, right? But if he remembered or even worse, he woke up, he was never going to let her live it down. Maybe just a little. Just a tiny bit of fun and if he started to wake, she'd stop. She had self control. _Yeah, that's a lie. _And she knew it but he was already hard! He'd probably shrug it off as part of his wet dream, right! His body was obviously already reacting from the dream and in reality.

Lucy was well aware of the fact she was convincing herself but the pulsing between her legs wouldn't have otherwise. Matters only became worse when her lustful mind introduced a malicious thought.

_Was he dreaming about her?_

The thought sparked wildfires… _If he was thinking about her, his body was reacting so deliciously. It would only be a little taste, right? Just until he woke up. Then she would act like nothing ever happened._

Everything in Lucy screamed that this was a bad idea. Despite years of unwanted advances, she also knew she was lacking some sense of sanity and hanging on to the last strand control. And it was all his fault!

She trailed her lips and tongue along his jawline, guiltily enjoying how exposed and helpless he was to her. Each roving drag of her tongue drawn against his nipple; every scrape of her nails over the hard muscle writhing just beneath his skin; each kneading pass of her cold fingers along the curves and contours of his body; every single action of her body only pushed her far beyond restrained lust. It inspired an emboldened passion mirroring every emotion and desire her body had pent up because of his presence.

Suddenly, Cobra shifted, his body unconsciously bowing and straining ever so slightly to mold to her own. And she was cherishing every moment of his reaction under her touch. She's the one that made his breath stutter, made his heat gallop, made him hot and needy, and yet it was unsatisfying. She wanted the scorching touch of his fingertips running along every dip and curve she had to offer. It only left the wet heat between her thighs burning hotter as she squirmed for the needed friction. She hummed quietly against his skin, muffling the inhuman moan bubbling up her throat as she nipped at his ear.

A moan filled the unabated silence, but who it came from, she didn't know. Her mind was somewhere far from her reality. To finally break away from constantly worrying about bills and restraining teammates without limits, Lucy didn't know if turning back was even an option anymore.

A peck here, a bite there, a suck here… She smothered every exposed inch of lavishly with kisses and licks from his strong jaw to the fine line of hair below his navel just begging to be followed farther south.

And then it changed. His body came to a halt, stilling so suddenly that she had no doubt he'd woken up. "Blondie…" his voice was constricted, strained, and utterly aroused when he muttered her name but she heard none of that over the pounding of heart in her ears as she tried to feign the ignorant bliss of sleep. His second tone made her eyebrows thread together and her head duck in embarrassment or fear, maybe both; it was a dangerous growl in warning that held no room to deny what he wanted of her, "Lucy."

He wanted her to look at him.

He wanted to see her brown eyes shone in the moonlight.

He wanted to see her body lust for him and him alone.

But all Lucy heard was his anger roar over the rushing in her ears. She expected him to look down on her with disgust when their eyes met. Not his willingness to give her everything she wanted.

"Cobra, I'm so sor-" Lucy tried to apologize, but her words are immediately swallowed and muffled turn into a vibrating mess that can't be understood. She had never been kissed so abruptly, if you could even call it that. Driven by such a hot blistering wicked desire, diving into a furious arousal overcoming all embarrassment and fear, far too quickly; The only way to describe his touch is distressed frustration that she wanted nothing more than to help him.

In the blink of an eye, two roommates became a frenzy of lips and tongue and teeth-and soon, of hands and skin. Why? That's not the question they want answered. The real question is 'Why not?' It was… a swirling mass of right and wrong as the stars aligned and their souls and bodies seemed to meet for the first time in this tangled cosmic mess called a universe. _Mavis, _it was just exhilarating!

Cobra's hands made their way to her hair and neck, one spanning the way across her her as, giving it a firm slap and then a squeeze. She laughed into his mouth, and replied with sharp yank to his hair.

"Fuck you, Sweetie." He growled, flipping so her back slammed into the bed with a loud creak of the bed frame. In an instant, he had her shoved into the mattress, groping and mouthing and rubbing against each other in crude imitations of sex.

Again, she laughed and tugged hard at his thick garnet loches, exposing his neck. Lucy smothers him lavishly with her mouth, nipping and sucking and licking. He groaned and pried her hands off him, attempting to ground them both back to some of reality. He pinned her wrists to the bed, watching with darkened eyes as she thrashed under his weight.

"You're an asshole, Love." She snarled, and Cobra only chuckled. Her lips twitched into a dangerous scowl and with a muttered a simple 'fine', wound her legs around his waist. He cautiously narrowed his eyes but had to stifle a breathless gasp when he felt her hips rub up against his crotch, then down, then up, rhythmically. His vision blurred but he could see the smug grin on her face that just screamed 'fuck you'.

"You didn't," he replied, smirking as he dove for her neck, marking her. Feral. Predatory. Dominant. Just the way she craved.

"Oh, but I did." Lucy purred, lustrous eyes falling on the whip that lied on her nightstand. In a blur and a blink and a wicked grin, she whirled around and gripped his shoulder, throwing him down on the bed. Cobra felt the cold leather hold his wrists to the damned headboard as she her fingers slipped beneath the band of his pants and boxers. With a quick swipe, every inch of his sensuous skin was for her eyes and hers alone. She takes in the view quickly before getting back to delectable, sinful labors of her work.

She bites her lip to stop a chuckle, secures her hands over his head and then luxuriously drags her hips up and over his, wriggling them deliciously over his erection. And his reaction, the way his onyx eyes slam shut with a tight gasp, makes her want to do it again. And she does.

"Ah," Cobra pants, his back arching up just a little as Lucy drags her hips back down, his breath comes out in sharp, small gasps and his hands jerk at his restraints, grabbing fistfuls of air, trying to quell the fierce need to touch her and buck his hips and greedily search for pleasure. This is like nothing, _nothing _he's ever felt, this clenching, feverish, exotic, excitement, because it's _Lucy._

She gripped his shoulders in an attempt to stabilize herself and began to grind her hips over his cock. Her eyes fell shut in ecstasy as her breaths became shorter and shorter with every pass of her clit against his burning skin. She barely registered the sounds of his wanton groans, her thoughts drowned out by her own primitive, feral moans.

She babbled nonsensically as she rode him, almost to the brink.

In her euphoria, Cobra thrashed against his bindings and they came loose. Snatching the opportunity, he grabbed her by the hips and flipped them around (again). With a grin and a blink of an eye, Lucy's clothes burned away in some acidic concoction of poison-sparing of course, her.

"Not fair!" She whined, and with a quick tear here and there, he was just as naked as she was.

"Knock knock." Midnight's voice suddenly spoke through the darkness but not even bothering to wait for an answer before opening the door. When he flicked on the light his eyes were glued to a book and he stood there at the door. Aggressively awkward silence filled the room save the faint sound of him flipping through thick, aged pages. "It's been bugging me since we got home, so I did some research. You guys are apparently mates or some shit like that." He finally looked up to see the pair wrapped in a thin, white sheet, Cobra firmly planted over Lucy with the deepest scowl Midnight had seen yet. And he simply quirked an eyebrow, "But I see you've already figured that out.

"And you're not going to get out!?" Lucy was on the verge of crying with embarrassment and anger and just simple horniness. _Mavis, _she hated him.

"This isn't anything new to me," Midnight looked her over with a fleeting glance, none too the impressed but who was he to judge, "Angel was a nudist in private. Not to mention, Cobra and I have had a lot of fun alone time while the others were on a mission." His tongue slipped out over his lips, lightly biting into his lower lip. It took everything in Midnight to not bust out laughing at the how wide Cobra' s eyes were.

Cobra looked down at his mate, who was trying her best to hold a horrified look on her face and hide the mirth dancing in her eyes, "Fuck! Luce-"

"You didn't think it was important to tell me you had a relationship with Midnight?" Tears were brimming in her eyes, albeit tears of utter hilarity and sexual frustration, and he fell for it.

"That's not true! And you, GET THE HELL OUT!" He let loose a pitiful bark but it wasn't one to be discounted. Those pushed into a corner were the most dangerous. However, Midnight couldn't give two fucks. He had important information to relay!

"I was in the middle of talking before I was so rudely interrupted." He cast a pointed look in the blonde's direction, "This godawful, heavy book says it takes about 24 hours for a dragon slayer to establish a mating connection. That would explain the whole sexual tension thing you guys were doing earlier; mating season was probably just about kicking into gear for you guys. Anywho, Cobra probably already told you. He should've known by the time we went to bed."

Lucy's eyes snapped from Midnight's direction to Cobra's eyes blazing with a flame that could burn a dragon. She was angry to say the least. "_You _asked to sleep in here. So you were just gonna have your way with when the urge finally hit me!?" Lucy hissed with a venom Cobra couldn't even conjure and every word had him flinching away.

"Guess now would be a bad time to mention we used to play Doctor." Despite the Midnight's obscenity, he knew this was going badly and it would be wrong to not help the newlyweds.

"MIDNIGHT! I SWEAR TO MAVIS, IF YOU DON'T GET OUT, I WILL HAVE A FUCKING BALL TEARING YOU TO SHREDS!"

He cocked his eyebrow, lips slightly bending in disgust, "Ew… You guys are a perfect pair." And not a second later, Midnight is taking a sharp turn on his heel to leave the room. "Have fun, Cobra~" It was his way of wishing his friend all the best, with hopes the man can avoid being buried alive.

Silence fell over the room once more. All humor was lost and all noise had died down. Lucy nugged Cobra away from her body with a light hand and slid out from beneath his heat. Her legs dangled over the bed as she stared at the ground blankly.

"Luce-" Cobra finally spoke after several agonizing moments of the bubbly blonde's silence. The touch was faint but he reached out to pull her back but Lucy body retreat from him.

Lucy finally climbed to her feet, nails digging into the sheets as she dragged them for the ride with her along with her. Cobra knew he was wrong but how did you tell a victim that she was forever bound to her abuser? How did you tell that to the woman who flinched away from you that you were the only one who would learn love her to that capacity?

_Confused. Angry. Heartbroken._ Those words didn't even begin to express what the hell she was feeling towards him. How was she supposed to feel about all of that thrown in her face in all of two minutes? She wanted to scream and yell and call him a monster for taking away her choice of love, one of the few freedoms she really had in the world. She wanted to call him a monster for using her; he was going to use her ignorance and desire against her without a word. But he wasn't. Lucy knew Cobra wasn't a monster and _Mavis, _did everything in that dream seem perfect.

She could have that.

Her dream of the Imperfect Prince Charming, the man who would put his life on the line for her but treated her like a real woman, she could have that.

But he lied to her.

Cobra did what every other man did to her when they got into a relationship but she could weigh past experience against his intent. That godawful twisting in the pit of her stomach was saying otherwise. She wanted to hate him so badly but she couldn't. He was different.

Cobra moved slowly, pulling his pants back over his hips and watching his mate cautiously. He'd never liked a girl like her, never seen a woman react like that, never had a mate before. And now when it came to soothing her, he had not a single clue where to start. He just knew he wanted to hold her when he smelled the salty tears sparsely falling along her cheeks.

Lucy's legs finally collapsed to the floor and Cobra scrambled to the floor. One more time, he reached out for her.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" She yelled, drowning out the sound of the front door slamming open. She just needed time to think, needed a little time to process what was happening. She needed time to accept the fact that she belonged to him and him to her. _Mavis, _it was too much.

"Doll, please-" Cobra's soft voice was cut short when her door was slammed back into the wall.

Lucy's chest tightened when her team stormed into her room, further adding to the confusion. Everything was bound to go to hell.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter came late because I wanted to post it **__**after **__**I came up with a posting schedule. Hopefully they'll be posted Saturdays and Mondays? Now I know how the story will end and I definitely want to close it by the end of November!**_

_**So, just something to look forward to. Happy Readings and Please Review.**_


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